Cuckoo/Cuc£: A Mexican Folktale/Un cuento folkl¢rico mexicano [Hardcover]

Lois Ehlert (Author), Gloria de Aragon Andujar (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Vain and selfish Cuckoo learns a lesson in humility and generosity when she undertakes a brave task in this tale told in both English and Spanish. “A book almost as much a piece of folk art as it is a folktale.”--Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As all the birds agree at the end of this pretty bilingual picture book, "You can't tell much about a bird by looking at its feathers." ("No se puede juzgar a un pájaro por su plumaje.")

The bird in question is a cuckoo bird with a golden voice. She may start out behaving pretty badly, leaving others to do her share of the work, but she sure pulls through in a pinch. After all, what's a full-throated bird to do when the fields are burning? Rescue the seeds, of course, so there will be food next year. Though the other birds assume she's far too frivolous to be any use, that's just what Cuckoo does.

In this bilingual retelling of an old Mexican tale, Cuckoo [Cucu] not only saves the seeds, but also loses her voice in all the smoke and soot. When it finally returns, her lovely singing voice has become a raspy bark, able only to "cuckoo," not to sing.

Beautifully illustrated with bright backgrounds and contrasting cutouts and collages, the book tells its story in both English and Spanish on each page. No doubt we'll be seeing more of such volumes in the future, as publishers work to meet the demand for Spanish-language works. This particular story is a great introduction to the mysteries of multiple languages; the colorful energy of the book's art should keep kids wandering through its pages for a good long time.

[Recommended for kids 3-8; might be good first-year Spanish practice for older kids.]

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4. Cuckoo is beautiful?and lazy. She also sings compulsively, irritating the other birds who want to sleep before beginning the arduous task of gathering seeds. They are so exhausted from the continual singing, in fact, that when a fire threatens the seed crop, they all sleep on. The only one awake is Cuckoo, who flies back and forth until all the seeds are safe. In the process, her rainbow plumage is scorched and her beautiful voice turns hoarse?but she earns the undying gratitude of the other birds. This tale, charmingly told in both English and Spanish, is boldly illustrated with large, brightly colored, cut-paper pictures. Inspired by folk art and crafts, the images evoke the tin work and cutout fiesta banners of Mexico. Apparently secured by paper fasteners, Cuckoo and some of the other birds look like jointed toys. A perfect companion to Ehlert's Moon Rope (Harcourt, 1992), this book provides a fine introduction to the pourquoi story form and to literature in Spanish. Given the amount of dialogue in the narrative, the story would adapt easily to readers' theater; as well, it is perfectly suited for use in ESL programs. Another sure winner from Ehlert.?Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015200274X
• ISBN-13: 978-0152002749
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #822,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LOIS EHLERT has created many picture books, including Leaf Man, Pie in the Sky, In My World, Growing Vegetable Soup, Planting a Rainbow, and the bestselling Waiting for Wings. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beauty is Within, July 10, 2000

By 

Claire Lane - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuckoo/Cuc£: A Mexican Folktale/Un cuento folkl¢rico mexicano (Hardcover)

Cuckoo is a very beautiful bird with a gorgeous voice. The problem is she is extremely vain. Cuckoo does not help the other birds gather seeds for food. One day there is a fire, and Cuckoo is the only one awake. Cuckoo salvages all of the villages seeds by storing them in a mole hole. The soot from the fire has caused her feathers to turn black. When everyone recognizes Cuckoo and what she has done they are all very proud of her and forgiving for her selfish past.

Note to teachers: This book has beautiful, colorful illustrations. You should definetly follow any activity you do with this text with an art project on mosaics with extraordinary colors. This book could be used to prove a very good moral lesson. Beauty is only skin deep, and no one person is better than the rest of the group. Everyone must pitch in their part. You could also use this to introduce a unit on Africa, because this is an African folk tale.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cuckoo: A Multicultural Book, November 7, 2000

By 

Melissa Mendez (WDM, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cuckoo/Cuc£: A Mexican Folktale/Un cuento folkl¢rico mexicano (Hardcover)

Cuckoo is a beautiful, but lazy bird. The owl, doves, and even the rooster get tired of Cuckoo flying around and singing beautiful songs all day. They complain she never does her share of the work! That is, until one day Cuckoo notices a field fire about to ruin the season's crop they had just worked so hard to plant. Cuckoo's apparent bravery is shown when she saves the seeds by carrying them to the mole's hole. This also demonstrates her willingness to put others' needs before her own beauty. Children of all ages will love the moral of this endearing story: "You can't tell much about a bird by looking at its feathers." This beautifully, brightly, authentically illustrated story is adapted from a Mayan Indian tale from Mexico. The bilingual text adds appeal to children of other cultures, or children wanting to learn the Spanish language. The front cover includes authentic drawings of ornaments with the Spanish/English vocabulary that is presented throughout the book. With the combination of bright illustrations that shine like the sun, a good moral ending showing bravery of the main character, and the bilingual text, young readers aren't likely to forget Cuckoo.

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic story about inner beauty, November 17, 2011

By 

R. Kirkland "R3K" (R3K) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cuckoo/Cuc£: A Mexican Folktale/Un cuento folkl¢rico mexicano (Paperback)

I love this book because it is such a sweet story, and beautiful illustrations. It is also a great teaching tool for my son, and I love that it has the English and Spanish side by side.